CARDIFF, UK – For newly appointed Cardiff Devils Operations Manager Mark Cuddihy, the 2011/12 season marks the beginning of a new career in the sport. Twenty five years of association were finally rewarded and his ENL side are paying dividends on the ice too.
After a four point weekend that saw the Devils edge out local rivals Bristol on the road and then current league Champions Wightlink Raiders, Head Coach Mark Cuddihy is a happy man.
It is hard to imagine a better start to the season for the Welsh side that finished in an unfamiliar sixth position in the league last term.
“I’m really happy” admitted Cuddihy, whose side are currently seven games unbeaten.
“The guys are the best group of players I’ve ever worked with. It’s been the most hassle free start to a season in ages. They are very committed to the cause; the amount of gym work that is going on is great to see”
“In practice I very rarely have to stop a drill or system, I draw it, they do it. A fantastic bunch of guys”
Upsetting the odds
The description of a ‘hassle free start to the season’ is not one which many observers would have predicted during the summer months of 2011. Cardiff lost high scoring forward Steven Fisher to Bristol and fellow hotshot Tim Burrows earned a full time call up to the Devils Elite League side.
Add this to the departures of veterans Lee Cowmeadow and Brent Pope plus the transfer of Steve Maile to Milton Keynes, and the scale of Cuddihy’s recruitment strategy increased dramatically.
Fresh faces arrived with former Streatham Redskin Louis Lockwood joining the team from Toronto Moose and an influx of former juniors returning to the fold from across the Atlantic Ocean. Most surprisingly was the capture of former GB international and Cardiff stalwart Jason Stone who was announced with fervent enthusiasm prior to the season starting.
“The biggest quality for me is their attitude to the game” explained Cuddihy of his new signings this season.
“We got three guys back from North America this year – Adam Harding, James Preece and Louis Lockwood – and you don’t travel half way across the world for hockey if you are not serious. Jamie Hayes and Jason Stone have come to us from EPL teams so they have plenty of experience”
“Stoney is a legend of the game in the UK and we have a number of 15/16 year old defensemen skating with us right now. You can see they are just in awe of him”
“Jamie brings so much energy to training and to the locker room. Technically our speed has caused problems to a lot of teams, along with discipline to the systems”
Cuddihy in familiar territory
After five years of travelling across the country standing on the bench for the ENL Devils, Cuddihy could be forgiven for thinking he had done his bit for the club but someone upstairs clearly spotted potential in a man who has been involved with the club for over 25 years.
Cuddihy was recently rewarded for his service to the club as they recruited him on a full time basis in the role of Operations Manager. This job gives him the additional responsibility of managing the operational side of the Elite league side along with overall merchandising and the continuing responsibility of being a trustee for the Devils charity, the DCF.
The stark reality is that hockey has turned from an emotional and time sapping hobby to a full time career and all that entails.
“I’m going to basically combine the three roles and I can’t see any issue with that going forward to be honest” explained the 35 year old Cardiff native.
“Obviously I’m far busier now than in previous years but the benefit of being in the office full time should off-set that a bit. My work life is now 100% dedicated to hockey, seven days a week, in fact my next day off will probably be Christmas Eve. I have a baby girl due in March as well so the match sticks are ready to come out”
“The roles I currently hold are trustee to the Devils Charity the DCF, Head Coach and General Manager to the ENL teams and Operations Manager to the Elite League team. One of my players pointed out that I was actually the 2nd longest serving coach in the ENL and it shocked me to be honest as the last 5 years have flown by, I love it, it’s in my blood”
Toasting Coach
Aside from a new full time job and a nice office in Cardiff Bay, there are plenty of other things for Cuddihy to smile about so far this term. Following the upwards movement of Burrows last season to the Elite League side, others have also had a chance this season and off the ice, forward Luke Piggott made national press headlines after he made a medical breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer. Surely there are no more good news stories to come out from the Devils organisation?
“I’m sure David Sadler has done something but I’m not sure it’s newsworthy to be honest” said Cuddihy laughing.
“We are buzzing it’s nice to have some good news coming out of the club and the Luke Piggott story has caused massive interest worldwide. We are really proud of him, on and off the ice. Adam Harding has also stepped up to the Elite League and Chris Jones will soon be introduced so lots of good things are currently happening here”
Turning back the English National League campaign, Cardiff have so far taken the scalps of both Chelmsford and Invicta so far this season and look to be on course to possibly mount a challenge to the top four.
This weekend the Devils take on Oxford and then Romford in another double header which will go some way to determining how serious their contention at the top of the table is.
“I think if we were to mount a challenge we need to take points from the top sides at home” confessed Cuddihy, who actually practiced on the first ever junior Devils training session in 1986.
“I truly think the top four has become the top five and we are one of the five. I would be thrilled if we could make the top three or four and then focus on the playoffs”
As a former Cardiff Junior player himself, one of the most important aspects of Cuddihy’s role has been to progress the young kids through to the senior teams and the likes of the aforementioned Burrows and of course Ben Davies are prime examples of the vital stepping stone the ENL side provides to the Elite League set up.
Just when opposition team’s think Cardiff are losing their better players it seems they simply produce some more from the conveyor belt.
“I have to say that the thing that we are proud of is the level of juniors coming up at the moment” explained Cuddihy.
“We currently have nine (and sometimes more) 15 year olds training with us and they are not drill busters, these guys are keeping up. Five have been selected for South West Under 17’s in their first year so we have a good solid future so it seems”
So the future is bright down in Cardiff and fingers are crossed that the current rink saga ends well for Cuddihy and all the hockey family down at the Bay.
For more information on the DCF Cardiff Foundation please have a look at their section on the Official Devils website.
http://www.cardiffdevils.com/community/
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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